tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562683070901628899.post4977973410442458588..comments2016-02-23T10:26:24.304-08:00Comments on An Artistic Fling: Sustainably ConvenientBrittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03893880003962240040noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562683070901628899.post-83619206587868718562013-09-18T10:29:52.065-07:002013-09-18T10:29:52.065-07:00I completely know what you mean. Every country and...I completely know what you mean. Every country and culture has problems accepting people who are different than them. <br /><br />I had a friend who lived in Basel, Switzerland for a year and she would tell me about the problems they face there. Since Basel is so close to the German border, a lot of people from Germany work in Switzerland. There is a lot of resentment towards these people because Germany is a much more affordable place to live and they are taking Swiss jobs. I haven't done a lot of research about this but I have listened to podcasts about people who live in one country and work in another. There are a lot of problems with fitting in with coworkers and such. <br /><br />I have a few friends who live in Europe and they do love their city, however they could never understand why I would want to leave the States. It's a grass is greener thing for sure.Brittanyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03893880003962240040noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562683070901628899.post-50909050311679711012013-09-18T09:57:30.979-07:002013-09-18T09:57:30.979-07:00(Caveat: I have loved my time living in Europe and...(Caveat: I have loved my time living in Europe and often wish to move there myself - it has so many wonderful aspects) <br /><br />While Europe is exposed to more cultures and languages, it does not follow that they are all lovers of multiculturalism. I understood your explanation to imply that Europeans fully accept cultural/racial differences, but I could be wrong. <br /><br />There is a tacit acceptance of differences *between* nations, but not within them. The greatest racism is towards Turks (the Roma too, actually) and due to current economic tensions, there are some racist attitudes towards nations in serious debt (e.g. Greece), as well as restructuring nations (former Soviet bloc). Europeans are still racist towards blacks, too. A friend from Bulgaria is half black and she heard slurs and had to physically defend herself constantly. Black Germans have written about the racism they encounter on a daily basis. It's a problem there as well, but they simply have less black citizens, making it less noticeable.<br /><br />Racism and intolerance are not unique to America and the expectation of assimilating instead of integrating is still very true in all European countries (even Sweden, I have read). The younger generation is less biased, but it's still a very serious problem. Not trying to rain on your parade, but that's the reality. I have heard Austrians say openly racist things, usually about the Roma (gypsies), and there are institutional policies in various nations that are thinly veiled racial discrimination.Taylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08421807209699920375noreply@blogger.com